For many people, the holiday season is literally the "most wonderful time of the year." I am no exception. I love this time of year, especially now that I live in New York City. Well, during my trip to Los Angeles, I was at brunch with friends when someone randomly read a tweet saying that the lighting of the Christmas tree was happening at the Grove was that evening. Of course, any plans I had for the remainder of the day were cancelled as I was surely about to head over to The Grove to wait for the event to begin.

I arrived around 5 PM, and took my place in the crowd to wait for the festivities to start at 7 PM. The stage was filled with holiday decorations, and the various acts were taking the stage for their sound and lighting rehearsals during that time.

The production was presented by Citi. When the show started, there were a couple acts that preceded the main act, Seth MacFarlane. When he took the stage, he was accompanied by a 70-piece orchestra, and and sang some of the most cherished holiday songs. His act also included a duet with Katherine McPhee and Meghan Trainor.

Katherine McPhee joined Seth MacFarlane on stage to sing a holiday classic

When the concert portion of the show ended, the biggest celebrity of them all made his entrance. That's right...Santa Claus was in the building. Upon his arrival, it started snowing in the middle of LA! No, I will not accept the fact that it may or may not have been the product of snow machines. To ME, it was magical! Santa started a countdown which led to the Christmas tree being lit and reflecting the tens of thousands of ornaments on it! To top it all off, there was a firework show that iluminated The Grove, and made the event worth the two hours of standing and waiting!

To go along with the holiday theme of the Christmas Tree lighting at The Grove, the shopping center was treated to a snow shower